Column 2017 April 2

The Australian Grand Prix has created a new reality for the silver arrows. A hard blow for Mercedes, the current champion builders, which seems to have lost the advantage over other teams. A situation that does not seem to displease Hamilton. The British driver admitted to the media that he was feeling excited before the duel with Vettel and added he would like to see Alonso in those battles. But it seems very difficult that Alonso will make it to those battles. His Mclaren lags far behind other cars. Honda hopes to have a new engine for the month of May and until then Alonso and Vandoorne will have to be patient.

Red Bull has also had a difficult start to the season. Only one of its cars could finish the race, which was expected to be difficult after the abandonment of Ricciardo. His car began reporting problems before the grand prix began. For all this, Christian Horner has been forced to recognize that the Red Bull is in third place.

But if anyone arose victorious it was the Italian team, having waited ten years to win once again at the Australian Grand Prix.  A well-deserved victory after a great strategy and an amazing management of the race. The team celebrated it measuredly waiting to see what happens in the next races. Next weekend we arrive in China, a circuit that clearly favors the Mercedes team. Its two long straights benefit higher engine power although some like Guenther Steiner, head of the Haas team, think that  the Ferrari engine is equal or even better than the Mercedes. Those engines could see their end in 2021 with a change in the rules decided at a meeting in Paris between the FIA with Jean Todt as president, the formula-building teams and Stefano Dominicali as representative of the Volkswagen group. The goal will be to make the engines simpler, cheaper and noisier. It must maintain power and allow the drivers to be pushed to the limit.

With all the world championships ahead, we are going to China, to the Shanghai International Circuit, looking forward to the excitement of  a great Formula 1 race.